French Music Duo FrancoFeeling with Tom Egan and Larry Lolli plus Poetry Reading at Tranquil Bistro Monday Nov. 9th from 6:30-9:30

FrancoFeeling with Tom Egan and Larry Lolli will once again be performing at Tranquil Bistro on the November 9th. The performance scheduled for October 19th has been canceled. Tranquil Bistro is a lovely restaurant featuring NYC-style decor and ambiance, a delightful and tastefully-prepared menu and excellent service. We welcome to this performance many of our fans who were not able to make our last performance due to Jewish holidays. We will again be including a French poetry reading, including several new and returning readers.

This performance will also include a special suite of poetry and song as Dr. Dora Polachek, French Professor in the Romance Languages Department at B.U. reads Les Feuilles Mortes by Jacques Prévert and FrancoFeeling then follows with two songs, one directly about the poem, "Les Feuilles Mortes" by Yves Montand and a song by Serges Gainsbourg, "La Chanson de Prévert", which is both about the poem and the song written about the poem! I have not yet confirmed any returning readers yet, however our previous readers included Carroll Coates, a professor from the Romance Languages Department specializing in French Poetry from the 19th Century, Martin Bidney, a Professor Emeritus from the English Department who is specialized in many areas including European literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, Christine Baxter, a Binghamton high school student who lived and went to school in Switzerland. I will also be participating in the reading with two poems, one of which will be an original composed specifically for this event on the topic of (many of you will be able to relate to this!!) how time eats away at your French!
I invite any and all francophones with an interest in reading to contact me if you would like to participate.

FrancoFeeling is dedicated exclusively to French popular music from the 60's through the 80's. Larry and I have been very pleasantly surprised by the positive response and demand we have had for this duo. My idea for this project had its roots in my experience as a student in France
25 years ago. While working at a summer job as a fireman in a little resort village on the Riviera called La Grande Motte in 1984, I met an an African pianist/singer who was struggling through Sinatra, Elvis and other American standards at a large seaside restaurant that my friends and I frequented. He asked me to sit in, and at the end of the night I was invited back and had several enjoyable gigs over the next few weeks. Fast-forward to 2009, when I met Larry Lolli while playing with Cathie Marie and the CitiCats. Cathie allowed me to sing "La Mer" by Charles Trenet, a song I had always longed to sing in public but had never had the opportunity to. I hummed a few bars to their guitarist Larry Lolli, he recognized the tune from a 60's translation which made it over to this side of the pond (Beyond the Blue), and within less than a minute, we were on our way. I was so impressed by his skill and sensitivity and the general experience that I decided on the spot to create a project just for the pleasure of playing with Larry. The natural solution was a midlife complement to my experience of playing American standards in France as a young man. FrancoFeeling combines "Franco" (French) with a French anglicism, "le feeling" which among other meanings is used to describe a pleasant ambiance and good vibes, particularly from music or a venue.

Here is a promo bit suitable for passing on to folks on our mailing lists:

Enjoy a little taste of France right here in the Southern Tier as FrancoFeeling brings you French popular music from the 60's through the
80's. From Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel through Georges Brassens, Serge
Gainsbourg and Yves Montand, Larry Lolli and Tom Egan will take you on a musical journey that celebrates the very best of French music while you dine on fine French cuisine.



Thomas Egan, President
Access Unlimited